Holly Bobo Update: Did Latest Search Reveal New Evidence?

A search in Decatur County, Tennessee last weekend for Holly Bobo, the nursing student that went missing on Apr. 13, 2011 turned up empty handed. Officials of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) revealed that their search didn't lead to any new evidence in the 21-year-olds disappearance.

Rumors spread that a body had been found during the three-day search. Special agent John Mehr, who is in charge of the Jackson office of the TBI stated that the rumors of a found body were untrue. The rumors were prompted after Sheriff Jimmy Harris of DeKalb County, Ala. stated that new evidence prompted the search team. Mehr said that the statement Harris made was incorrect, and he should be sending out a correction.

Bobo's family and community remains dedicated to finding the girl. A reward of $85,000 has been offered since Apr. 19, 2011 for information leading to the arrest of the abductors. At the beginning of February the reward money increased to $250,000 for her safe return.

The increase in reward happened closely after an arrest of a registered sex offender in western Tennessee. According to TV station WTVF, Terry Lee Britt, 53, who lived near Bobo, was arrested for alleged kidnapping, attempted rape and sexual battery charges. Mehr refused to comment to the Jackson Sun on whether Britt was being questioned in Bobo's case.

Police also raided an Ohio man's home last month after an unhealthy interest in the case. Tony Calabrese had set up a website of Bobo to solicit leads. Calabrese claims to have received a confession from the girl's kidnapper. The Ohio man was not a suspect, but was interfering with the investigation.

Bobo, 20 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen by her brother walking into the woods with a man in hunting gear. Those with information about Holly Bobo's disappearance are asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.